An early NORML protest
“I feel a bit weird,” I said to my colleague, as I was about to post my first cannabis design to my Facebook page.
He looked up from his computer. “Don’t worry.”
“I think about my family back east, especially the older ones, and some of my friends. What will they say when they see these cannabis related posts?”
My finger hovered over the return key.
“This is what you do, and what you have been doing for the last 30 years. Your designs will help businesses become more successful, like they always have, but now it’s in a different industry. Just post the design.”
I took a deep breath and hit the return key.
In the beginning, I didn’t actively seek clients. They found me. My first client, Rick Masters from Nova Vape, was looking for someone with a wider range of experience, someone who was not a cannabis-specific designer. He wanted me to create a brand identity, and packaging for his product, that would be unique from what already existed on the market. Masters was hoping to work with someone mature, reliable and professional. We were a great fit from the start.
One of the hurdles I encountered, upon entering the legal cannabis industry, was peoples’ perception of cannabis. In spite of the general public’s increasing acceptance and awareness of cannabis use, the stigma associated with it prevails. At first I was worried about what my family and friends would think, but then I realized that I could be part of the solution. By creating professional images for cannabis products and services, I could contribute to the improvement of the industry’s overall image, transforming negative into positive.
Wendy Rall is a professional graphic designer with more than 30 years experience. Now based in California, she owns and operates Budd Branding, a boutique design studio (www.buddbranding.com).
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